Decision of the Central Committee of the
Chinese Communist Party Concerning the
Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

(Adopted on August 8, 1966)

[This article is reprinted from Peking Review, Vol. 9, #33, Aug. 12,
1966, pp. 6-11. Thanks are due to the WWW.WENGEWANG.ORG
web site for some of the work done for this posting. Special note:
There are 2 very slightly different versions of this document,
apparently from different English-language editions of PR. The
version below mostly follows the North American edition, but
capitalizes the first letters of “Great Proletarian Cultural
Revolution” in accordance with a different English-language edition.]

1

A New Stage in the Socialist Revolution

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution now
unfolding is a great revolution that touches people to their very souls and
constitutes a new stage in the development of the socialist revolution in our
country, a stage which is both broader and deeper.

At the Tenth Plenary Session of the Eighth
Central Committee of the Party, Comrade Mao Tse-tung said: to overthrow a
political power, it is always necessary first of all to create public opinion,
to do work in the ideological sphere. This is true for the revolutionary class
as well as for the counter-revolutionary class. This thesis of Comrade Mao
Tse-tung’s has been proved entirely correct in practice.

Although the bourgeoisie has been overthrown,
it is still trying to use the old ideas, culture, customs and habits of the
exploiting classes to corrupt the masses, capture their minds and endeavour to
stage a comeback. The proletariat must do the exact opposite: it must meet
head-on every challenge of the bourgeoisie in the ideological field and use the
new ideas, culture, customs and habits of the proletariat to change the mental
outlook of the whole of society. At present, our objective is to struggle
against and overthrow those persons in authority who are taking the capitalist
road, to criticize and repudiate the reactionary bourgeois academic “authorities”
and the ideology of the bourgeoisie and all other exploiting classes and to
transform education, literature and art and all other parts of the superstructure
not in correspondence with the socialist economic base, so as to facilitate the
consolidation and development of the socialist system.

2

The Main Current and the Zigzags

The masses of the workers, peasants, soldiers,
revolutionary intellectuals, and revolutionary cadres form the main force in
this Great Cultural Revolution. Large numbers of revolutionary young people,
previously unknown, have become courageous and daring pathbreakers. They are
vigorous in action and intelligent. Through the media of big-character posters
and great debates, they argue things out, expose and criticize thoroughly, and
launch resolute attacks on the open and hidden representatives of the bourgeoisie.
In such a great revolutionary movement, it is hardly avoidable that they should
show shortcomings of one kind or another; however, their general revolutionary
orientation has been correct from the beginning. This is the main current in the
Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. It is the general direction along which
this revolution continues to advance.

Since the Cultural Revolution is a revolution,
it inevitably meets with resistance. This resistance comes chiefly from those in
authority who have wormed their way into the Party and are taking the capitalist
road. It also comes from the force of habits from the old society. At present,
this resistance is still fairly strong and stubborn. But after all, the Great
Proletarian Cultural Revolution is an irresistible general trend. There is
abundant evidence that such resistance will be quickly broken down once the
masses become fully aroused.

Because the resistance is fairly strong, there
will be reversals and even repeated reversals in this struggle. There is no harm
in this. It tempers the proletariat and other working people, and especially the
younger generation, teaches them lessons and gives them experience, and helps
them to understand that the revolutionary road zigzags and does not run
smoothly.

3

Put Daring Above Everything Else
and Boldly Arouse the Masses

The outcome of this Great Cultural Revolution
will be determined by whether or not the Party leadership dares boldly to arouse
the masses.

Currently, there are four different situations
with regard to the leadership being given to the movement of Cultural Revolution
by Party organizations at various levels:

(1) There is the situation in which the persons
in charge of Party organizations stand in the van of the movement and dare to
arouse the masses boldly. They put daring above everything else, they are
dauntless communist fighters and good pupils of Chairman Mao. They advocate the
big-character posters and great debates. They encourage the masses to expose
every kind of ghost and monster and also to criticize the shortcomings and errors
in the work of the persons in charge. This correct kind of leadership is the
result of putting proletarian politics in the forefront and Mao Tse-tung’s thought
in the lead.

(2) In many units, the persons in charge have
a very poor understanding of the task of leadership in this great struggle, their
leadership is far from being conscientious and effective, and they accordingly
find themselves incompetent and in a weak position. They put fear above everything
else, stick to outmoded ways and regulations, and are unwilling to break away
from conventional practices and move ahead. They have been taken unaware by the
new order of things, the revolutionary order of the masses, with the result that
their leadership lags behind the situation, lags behind the masses.

(3) In some units, the persons in charge, who
made mistakes of one kind or another in the past, are even more prone to put
fear above everything else, being afraid that the masses will catch them out.
Actually, if they make serious self-criticism and accept the criticism of the
masses, the Party and the masses will make allowances for their mistakes. But if
the persons in charge don’t, they will continue to make mistakes and become
obstacles to the mass movement.

(4) Some units are controlled by those who
have wormed their way into the Party and are taking the capitalist road. Such
persons in authority are extremely afraid of being exposed by the masses and
therefore seek every possible pretext to suppress the mass movement. They resort
to such tactics as shifting the targets for attack and turning black into white
in an attempt to lead the movement astray. When they find themselves very
isolated and no longer able to carry on as before, they resort still more to
intrigues, stabbing people in the back, spreading rumours, and blurring the
distinction between revolution and counter-revolution as much as they can, all
for the purpose of attacking the revolutionaries.

What the Central Committee of the Party
demands of the Party committees at all levels is that they persevere in giving
correct leadership, put daring above everything else, boldly arouse the masses,
change the state of weakness and incompetence where it exists, encourage those
comrades who have made mistakes but are willing to correct them to cast off
their mental burdens and join in the struggle, and dismiss from their leading
posts all those in authority who are taking the capitalist road and so make
possible the recapture of the leadership for the proletarian revolution.

4

Let the Masses Educate Themselves in the Movement

In the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution,
the only method is for the masses to liberate themselves, and any method of
doing things in their stead must not be used.

Trust the masses, rely on them and respect
their initiative. Cast out fear. Don’t be afraid of disturbances. Chairman Mao
has often told us that revolution cannot be so very refined, so gentle, so
temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. Let the masses educate
themselves in this great revolutionary movement and learn to distinguish
between right and wrong and between correct and incorrect ways of doing
things.

Make the fullest use of big-character posters
and great debates to argue matters out, so that the masses can clarify the
correct views, criticize the wrong views and expose all the ghosts and monsters.
In this way the masses will be able to raise their political consciousness in
the course of the struggle, enhance their abilities and talents, distinguish
right from wrong and draw a clear line between ourselves and the enemy.

5

Firmly Apply the Class Line of the Party

Who are our enemies? Who are our friends?
This is a question of the first importance for the revolution and it is
likewise a question of the first importance for the Great Cultural
Revolution.

Party leadership should be good at
discovering the left and developing and strengthening the ranks of the left;
it should firmly rely on the revolutionary left. During the movement this is
the only way to isolate the most reactionary rightists thoroughly, win over
the middle and unite with the great majority so that by the end of the
movement we shall achieve the unity of more than 95 per cent of the cadres
and more than 95 per cent of the masses.

Concentrate all forces to strike at the
handful of ultra-reactionary bourgeois rightists and counter-revolutionary
revisionists, and expose and criticize to the full their crimes against the
Party, against socialism and against Mao Tse-tung’s thought so as to isolate
them to the maximum.

The main target of the present movement is
those within the Party who are in authority and are taking the capitalist
road.

Care should be taken to distinguish strictly
between the anti-Party, anti-socialist rightists and those who support the
Party and socialism but have said or done something wrong or have written some
bad articles or other works.

Care should be taken to distinguish strictly
between the reactionary bourgeois scholar despots and “authorities” on the
one hand and people who have the ordinary bourgeois academic ideas on the
other.

6

Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People

A strict distinction must be made between
the two different types of contradictions: those among the people and those
between ourselves and the enemy. Contradictions among the people must not be
made into contradictions between ourselves and the enemy; nor must
contradictions between ourselves and the enemy be regarded as contradictions
among the people.

It is normal for the masses to hold
different views. Contention between different views is unavoidable, necessary
and beneficial. In the course of normal and full debate, the masses will
affirm what is right, correct what is wrong and gradually reach unanimity.

The method to be used in debates is to
present the facts, reason things out, and persuade through reasoning. Any
method of forcing a minority holding different views to submit is
impermissible. The minority should be protected, because sometimes the truth
is with the minority. Even if the minority is wrong, they should still be
allowed to argue their case and reserve their views.

When there is a debate, it should be
conducted by reasoning, not by coercion or force.

In the course of debate, every revolutionary
should be good at thinking things out for himself and should develop the
communist spirit of daring to think, daring to speak and daring to act. On
the premise that they have the same general orientation, revolutionary
comrades should, for the sake of strengthening unity, avoid endless debate
over side issues.

7

Be on Guard Against Those Who Brand the
Revolutionary Masses as “Counter-Revolutionaries”

In certain schools, units, and work teams
of the Cultural Revolution, some of the persons in charge have organized
counter-attacks against the masses who put up big-character posters
criticizing them. These people have even advanced such slogans as:
opposition to the leaders of a unit or a work team means opposition to the
Central Committee of the Party, means opposition to the Party and socialism,
means counter-revolution. In this way it is inevitable that their blows will
fall on some really revolutionary activists. This is an error on matters
of orientation, an error of line, and is absolutely impermissible.

A number of persons who suffer from
serious ideological errors, and particularly some of the anti-Party and
anti-socialist rightists, are taking advantage of certain shortcomings and
mistakes in the mass movement to spread rumours and gossip, and engage in
agitation, deliberately branding some of the masses as “counter-revolutionaries.”
It is necessary to beware of such “pick-pockets” and expose their tricks in
good time.

In the course of the movement, with the
exception of cases of active counter-revolutionaries where there is clear
evidence of crimes such as murder, arson, poisoning, sabotage or theft of
state secrets, which should be handled in accordance with the law, no
measures should be taken against students at universities, colleges, middle
schools and primary schools because of problems that arise in the movement.
To prevent the struggle from being diverted from its main target, it is not
allowed, under whatever pretext, to incite the masses or the students to
struggle against each other. Even proven rightists should be dealt with on
the merits of each case at a later stage of the movement.

8

The Question of Cadres

The cadres fall roughly into the following
four categories:

(1) good;
(2) comparatively good;
(3) those who have made serious mistakes
but have not become anti-Party, anti-socialist rightists;
(4) the small number of anti-Party,
anti-socialist rightists.

In ordinary situations, the first two
categories (good and comparatively good ) are the great majority.

The anti-Party, anti-socialist rightists
must be fully exposed, refuted, overthrown and completely discredited and
their influence eliminated. At the same time, they should be given a chance
to turn over a new leaf.

9

Cultural Revolution Groups, Committees and Congresses

Many new things have begun to emerge in
the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolutionary
groups, committees and other organizational forms created by the masses
in many schools and units are something new and of great historic
importance.

These Cultural Revolutionary groups,
committees and congresses are excellent new forms of organization whereby
the masses educate themselves under the leadership of the Communist Party.
They are an excellent bridge to keep our Party in close contact with the
masses. They are organs of power of the proletarian Cultural Revolution.

The struggle of the proletariat against
the old ideas, culture, customs and habits left over by all the exploiting
classes over thousands of years will necessarily take a very, very long
time. Therefore, the Cultural Revolutionary groups, committees and
congresses should not be temporary organizations but permanent, standing
mass organizations. They are suitable not only for colleges, schools and
government and other organizations, but generally also for factories,
mines, other enterprises, urban districts and villages.

It is necessary to institute a system
of general elections, like that of the Paris Commune, for electing members
to the Cultural Revolutionary groups and committees and delegates to the
Cultural Revolutionary congresses. The lists of candidates should be put
forward by the revolutionary masses after full discussion, and the
elections should be held after the masses have discussed the lists over
and over again.

The masses are entitled at any time to
criticize members of the Cultural Revolutionary groups and committees
and delegates elected to the Cultural Revolutionary congresses. If these
members or delegates prove incompetent, they can be replaced through
election or recalled by the masses after discussion.

The Cultural Revolutionary groups,
committees and congresses in colleges and schools should consist mainly
of representatives of the revolutionary students. At the same time, they
should have a certain number of representatives of the revolutionary
teaching and administrative staff and workers.

10

Educational Reform

In the Great Proletarian Cultural
Revolution a most important task is to transform the old educational
system and the old principles and methods of teaching.

In this Great Cultural Revolution, the
phenomenon of our schools being dominated by bourgeois intellectuals
must be completely changed.

In every kind of school we must apply
thoroughly the policy advanced by Comrade Mao Tse-tung of education
serving proletarian politics and education being combined with productive
labour, so as to enable those receiving an education to develop morally,
intellectually and physically and to become labourers with socialist
consciousness and culture.

The period of schooling should be
shortened. Courses should be fewer and better. The teaching material
should be thoroughly transformed, in some cases beginning with simplifying
complicated material. While their main task is to study, students should
also learn other things. That is to say, in addition to their studies
they should also learn industrial work, farming and military affairs,
and take part in the struggles of the Cultural Revolution to criticize
the bourgeoisie as these struggles occur.

11

The Question of Criticizing by Name in the Press

In the course of the mass movement of
the Cultural Revolution, the criticism of bourgeois and feudal ideology
should be well combined with the dissemination of the proletarian world
outlook and of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Tse-tung’s thought.

Criticism should be organized of
typical bourgeois representatives who have wormed their way into the
Party and typical reactionary bourgeois academic “authorities,” and this
should include criticism of various kinds of reactionary views in
philosophy, history, political economy and education, in works and
theories of literature and art, in theories of natural science, and in
other fields.

Criticism of anyone by name in the
press should be decided after discussion by the Party committee at the
same level, and in some cases submitted to the Party committee at a
higher level for approval.

12

Policy Towards Scientists, Technicians
and Ordinary Members of Working Staffs

As regards scientists, technicians
and ordinary members of working staffs, as long as they are patriotic,
work energetically, are not against the Party and socialism, and
maintain no illicit relations with any foreign country, we should in
the present movement continue to apply the policy of “unity, criticism,
unity.” Special care should be taken of those scientists and scientific
and technical personnel who have made contributions. Efforts should be
made to help them gradually transform their world outlook and their
style of work.

13

The Question of Arrangements for Integration With the
Socialist Education Movement in City and Countryside

The cultural and educational units
and leading organs of the Party and government in the large and medium
cities are the points of concentration of the present proletarian
Cultural Revolution.

The Great Cultural Revolution has
enriched the socialist education movement in both city and countryside
and raised it to a higher level. Efforts should be made to conduct
these two movements in close combination. Arrangements to this effect
may be made by various regions and departments in the light of the
specific conditions.

The socialist education movement now
going on in the countryside and in enterprises in the cities should
not be upset where the original arrangements are appropriate and the
movement is going well, but should continue in accordance with the
original arrangements. However, the questions that are arising in the
present Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution should be put to the
masses for discussion at the proper time, so as to further foster
vigorously proletarian ideology and eradicate bourgeois ideology.

In some places, the Great Proletarian
Cultural Revolution is being used as the focus in order to add momentum
to the socialist education movement and clean things up in the fields
of politics, ideology, organization and economy. This may be done where
the local Party committee thinks it appropriate.

14

Take Firm Hold of the Revolution
and Stimulate Production

The aim of the Great Proletarian
Cultural Revolution is to revolutionize people’s ideology and as a
consequence to achieve greater, faster, better and more economical
results in all fields of work. If the masses are fully aroused and
proper arrangements are made, it is possible to carry on both the
Cultural Revolution and production without one hampering the other,
while guaranteeing high quality in all our work.

The Great Proletarian Cultural
Revolution is a powerful motive force for the development of the social
productive forces in our country. Any idea of counterposing the Great
Cultural Revolution to the development of production is incorrect.

15

The Armed Forces

In the armed forces, the cultural
revolution and the socialist education movement should be carried out
in accordance with the instructions of the Military Commission of the
Central Committee of the Party and the General Political Department of
the People’s Liberation Army.

16

Mao Tse-tung’s Thought Is the Guide for Action
in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

In the Great Proletarian Cultural
Revolution, it is imperative to hold aloft the great red banner of Mao
Tse-tung’s thought and put proletarian politics in command. The movement
for the creative study and application of Chairman Mao Tse-tung’s works
should be carried forward among the masses of the workers, peasants and
soldiers, the cadres and the intellectuals, and Mao Tse-tung’s thought
should be taken as the guide to action in the Cultural Revolution.

In this complex Great Cultural
Revolution, Party committees at all levels must study and apply Chairman
Mao’s works all the more conscientiously and in a creative way. In
particular, they must study over and over again Chairman Mao’s writings
on the Cultural Revolution and on the Party’s methods of leadership,
such as On New Democracy, Talks at the Yenan Forum on
Literature and Art, On the Correct Handling of Contradictions
Among the People, Speech at the Chinese Communist Party’s
National Conference on Propaganda Work, Some Questions Concerning
Methods of Leadership and Methods of Work of Party Committees.

Party committees at all levels must abide
by the directions given by Chairman Mao over the years, namely that they
should thoroughly apply the mass line of “from the masses, to the masses”
and that they should be pupils before they become teachers. They should
try to avoid being one-sided or narrow. They should foster materialist
dialectics and oppose metaphysics and scholasticism.

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
is bound to achieve brilliant victory under the leadership of the Central
Committee of the Party headed by Comrade Mao Tse-tung.